Beryl has left millions of Texans without power as dangerous heat surges across the region
It could take days or even weeks to restore power to millions of Texans affected by the deadly and destructive Hurricane Beryl, creating a dangerous situation for residents who will be without air conditioning as searing heat intensifies across the state.
Beryl struck southern Texas on Monday as a Category 1 hurricane, leaving power out to more than 2.5 million homes and killing at least 8 people in Texas and Louisiana.
The storm, now a tropical depression, unleashed torrential rain and winds that turned streets into raging rivers, destroyed power lines and tossed trees onto homes, roads and cars. As it moves across the Midwest on Tuesday, it threatens to bring more flooding and tornadoes along its path.
While difficult recovery and cleanup efforts are underway in Southeast Texas, including the Houston area, the region will experience extreme heat on Tuesday and Wednesday, creating dangerous conditions for people who work outside or who don’t have adequate cooling.
A heat warning is in effect through Tuesday for southeast Texas, where the heat index — a measure of how the body feels in heat and humidity — could reach 40 degrees Celsius, while high temperatures across the region are forecast to reach 32 degrees Celsius.
The National Weather Service in Houston said, “Lack of adequate cooling and the outdoor cleanup many people did after Beryl could lead to dangerous heat conditions.” Heat is the deadliest extreme weather event in the United States, killing more than twice as many people each year as hurricanes and tornadoes combined.
Restoring power to the most affected communities will take several days, according to Thomas Gleason, chairman of the Texas Public Utility Commission. And in the coastal city of Galveston, city officials estimate it could take up to two weeks to restore power.
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